Awkward Silences
by Troublesome Writer
Summary: I wish he could just leave me alone. Hasn't he done enough already? I just want someone...ANYONE...who would understand me. And he's the LAST thing I need...but he's the FIRST thing I want...and he knows it. SasuSakuNeji some NaruSaku
1. Prologue

Man. Studying really sucks. Stupid medical scrolls. Why do they have to be so complicated? Aargh, darn it, Sakura, you're supposed to be SMART remember? Exactly. Now come on, brain, do your magic...

**One hour later...**

WORK!!

Ok, you know what? I think I'll take a well-deserved break to ease the stress from my overworked self.

Oh yea! Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Hi! My name is Haruno Sakura...and I am an alcoholic.

Haha! Just kidding! I'm not really an alcoholic unlike my insane sensei who's supposedly the leader of this village. Yes, you heard right. So that makes me the Godaime's apprentice. I'm pretty much known for that. Not what I'd like to be known for but I can live with it.

Right now, I'm 18 years old and am currently a Jounin. I'm also a medic so I work at the hospital when I'm not on missions or helping out at the Academy. My friends-

_Riiing_

Oh no. It's HIM again.

_Riiing_

Don't pick up the phone, Sakura. Just stare and walk away slowly.

_Riiing_

Why did I give him my number, anyway? Oh yea. I didn't. He **found** it...that stalker.

_Riiing_

Doesn't he ever give up?

_Riiing_

I guess not. _Sigh_. I used to admire his persistence, but now, it's annoying.

_Riiing_

And I'm not talking about Naruto.

_Hi there! Sakura here! Actually-err-the machine. I'm not here right now_. _Sorry!_

Finally. The answering machine. I thought it would never come. I seriously need to fix that thing.

_I'm probably eating ramen with Naruto or training or...something.  
_

And if you're still wondering, I'm not talking about Lee either.

_Please leave a name, number and a message so I can call you back!! Beeeeep._

Believe it or not, I'm talking about...

_Hn. It's Sasuke. Why don't you ever answer this thing? Call back. Click._

Uchiha Sasuke. A.K.A. the most annoying person I've come to know. Suuure he may SEEM quiet. Actually, he is. And he may SEEM unable to annoy ANYBODY. But don't let the silent look fool you. He is so irritating...to just...BE with. Looks can be deceiving, you know. I learned that the hard way.

_Sigh._ I guess I should call him back...LATER.

Anyway, so I guess you noticed by the message. Yes, we FINALLY brought Sasuke back. It only took seven missions. Aah, seven. The lucky number. But yea. Seven. It took three different teams that consisted of four people each. Not all seven times, though. Just the last two. Tsunade-shishou was getting impatient. We all spread out and searched for Orochimaru's hideout. I was in the second team with Naruto, Kakashi, and Neji. It took a few weeks to find it. Two and a half weeks to be exact but we finally found them thanks to Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. They're like the perfect search team, those three. Now that the hard part was over, all we had to do was get Sasuke and the rest would be a piece of ricecake. Or so I thought. Sasuke was stubborn and hard-headed. But thankfully, so was some people in our teams (_cough _Naruto _cough_).We literally had to drag his sorry butt back to Konoha. I knocked him out (hahaha. REVENGE!). But to makes matters worse, Orochimaru sent his Sound ninja to get Sasuke back. So it was pretty much like twelve against twenty. But thanks to Shikamaru and his brains and also thanks to me and my healing abilities, we were able to make it out ok. But we couldn't have done it without everyone's help.

So that's how it happened. Well, not ALL of it but the basic format. Some people almost died and some people were captured but lets not get into that right now. Everybody's ok so no need to worry. This was all about two years ago. And after that, Sasuke tried to escape many times but failed on all of his attempts. The look on his face was hilarious. After a year, he was trusted enough not to escape for some casualties to be let off. Tsunade-shishou thinks he's changing his mind about revenge but we all think that he just gave up on escaping to save some of his dignity and pride.

Itachi's still alive and Sasuke's still obsessed on revenge but not as much as he used to be which is good. He was eventually able to enter the exams and is now a Jounin. It was funny seeing Sasuke realizing he was a 16 year old Genin. It was even more funny seeing him do D-ranked missions. Poor Sasuke had to deal with Naruto about that for a year. And Naruto still jokes about it. But whenever he does, the results are always the same. One day, I'm eating ramen with him and the next, I'm his nurse for the week.

So you're probably wondering how Sasuke became the annoying person in my life. He even beat Naruto. Ok, maybe not Naruto. But it's a pretty close tie. If Sasuke starts yelling and obsessing over ramen and being Hokage then I don't know what I'm gonna do. But like I was saying, it all pretty much started when I had agreed to be his girlfriend. We were 17 at the time and by that time I had gotten over him. Actually, I got over him at 14. But I decided to give him a chance despite the fact that I was still kinda mad at him. Heck, I even gave Naruto a chance but we can talk about that later.

So things were doing good and everything was going smoothly between us. That is, until he got insanely jealous with me being alone with Shikamaru. First of all, we are just friends. Secondly, we were waiting for Ino to get off work. I apologized to Shikamaru and scolded Sasuke after that. Sasuke glared him down like a hawk. I thought Shikamaru was gonna die just from his stare. Whenever I'm with a guy, Sasuke just goes crazy, confronts me AND the guy, and denies it later. One time, I almost mistook his arm for a constrictor because his grip on my waist was so tight I could barely breathe. I had to end it. Our relationship lasted for almost a month. He didn't take it very well. He avoided me for 3 weeks. He avoided everyone altogether. I guess he's not used to being rejected...what a baby.

But he eventually stopped avoiding everyone including me. He actually pays attention to me the most. He calls me like ten times a day and I always notice him watching me train. It's kinda creepy. Ok. Scratch that. It's REALLY creepy. He asks me to train with him almost everyday. But whenever I accept, he never takes me seriously and instead of fighting, he stands there like an idiot and stares at my chest. I never knew Sasuke could be such a pervert. So I politely decline his offers. If by politely, you mean I sock him in the jaw whenever the drool comes out, then yes. Politely.

Just in case you're wondering, everyone else is doing great. The old rookie nine and plus Gai's team, I mean. Me, Hinata, Tenten, and Ino hang out all the time. Sometimes we get with Temari when she's around the village or we're around her village. Oh yea! Did I mention that me and Ino are best friends again? We've been that way ever since Shikamaru finally found enough guts and effort into confessing his absolute love for her. Ok, maybe not absolute love. More like asking her out on a date. And they've been together ever since. And you know who hooked them up? That's right. Yours truly. So she owed me big time. Once, Sasuke tried to make me jealous by going after Ino. That is, until Ino got rescued by Shikamaru and Sasuke got strategized and shadowed on. Shikamaru made him look so stupid. Ino watched and recorded the whole thing on video so I could watch too. Sasuke never tried that move again.

Wow, there was a lot more I had to tell you than I thought there was. Oh well, as long as I don't have to go back to studying, it's all good. So ever since Sasuke got off his punishment, Team 7 was back again and that includes Kakashi. Sure, technically, we're of the same rank and are equals, but I still think of him as my sensei other than Tsunade-shishou. He still hasn't had any new passing Genin teams since us so whenever me, Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi aren't busy with missions or me with Tsunade, we all meet at the bridge in the morning and five hours later, Kakashi would train us. Then we would all go out for ramen. Just like old times.

Oh crap! I need to know this stuff tomorrow! Tsunade-shishou is gonna murder me! Ok, calm down, Sakura. Don't even think about her massive strength and pounding voice. You have nothing to be afraid of. Besides...she wouldn't hurt me...right?

Oh no. I better get started! Ok, I'm gonna need complete and absolute silence...

..._silence_...

**_Riiing_**

Darn you, Sasuke.

* * *

**A/N: Hey peoples I'm back! Uhh...yea if you're reading this...do you think you could give me some ideas?**

**I'm kinda stumped on this one. I want it to be a Neji/Saku and possibly a Naru/Saku but I have no idea how this is gonna turn out.**

**I'm not so sure on the genre either. Drama, humor, action, romance? I have no clue. So if you could please...help? Thanks so much!! **


	2. Surprise Surprise

**Special thanks to all of you who reviewed!! After a lot of thinking, I have finally come up with a pairing and a STORY!!! I just hope you all like what I have come up with.  
**

**This will be an eventual Neji/Saku pairing. Right now it's a bit of a Naru/Saku but we'll see what happens later. Sorry to disappoint those who wanted different but I hope you will read and enjoy my story anyway! Well, here goes.**

* * *

I'm not sure if you've heard this or not but when I was a Genin, I was quite the weakling. Not to mention an all out crybaby. See, you're probably thinking, "You? A weakling?? NEVER!!" but believe it or not, it's true. Well, not anymore!! I haven't heard the word **weak** directed towards me in a long time unless the word **not** was in front of it and everyone in the village knows it. And even if someone called me that, I'd totally kick their ass.I know I'm being a bit full of myself but after all those years of hell people put me through about being weak, I'm not just going to forgive and forget.

There's only one person I allow to call me such an insult. This person has trouble accepting the fact that I am no longer that little weakling who always got in the way. This person...is not Sasuke. Oh no, Sasuke realized my true strength when I kicked his sorry butt back to the village. I'm talking about the one and only (thank goodness) Neji Hyuuga.

I've never really talked or associated with him in any way until I became a Medic. That boy has some serious nonstop training issues. And we also got along pretty well at the mission to retrieve Sasuke. Well...if you call 'arguing with each other and senselessly brow-beating the other until one of us got our way' getting along then yes, we got along. Putting the arguments aside and also the major differences in opinion, I actually consider us as friends. Well more so, acquaintances than friends but that alone is still an amazing feat to accomplish when Neji is the one you're trying to get buddy-buddy with.

Ok, enough talk. All this talk about Neji is making me feel hungry for some reason. I think I'll take a visit at Ichiraku. It's around two in the afternoon so Naruto should be on his...5th bowl I think? Somewhere around that range. When Sasuke left, it gave me time to get to know Naruto a lot more. Up to the point where I know his ramen schedule. Speaking of Sasuke, I hope Naruto didn't drag him into Ichiraku with him. I really don't feel like seeing him right now but I suppose it has to happen sometime, seeing as we both live in the same village and all.

I'm walking towards Ichiraku and notice how long it's been since I last ate there with Naruto. I've been so busy lately it seems that I barely have time to eat. I'm almost there and the coast is clear of Sasuke much to my delight but I see someone else with Naruto. A girl. A twinge of jealousy overwhelms me and I start walking faster. Wait. Did I say jealousy? What I meant to say was...HUNGER! Yea, hunger. A twinge of HUNGER overwhelms me and I start walking faster. Why would I be jealous? Of all the emotions I should be feeling, it should **not** be jealousy. I mean, so what if Naruto has a little girlfriend? It doesn't bother me...

_...Does it??_

Nah, I must not be thinking straight after all the busy days I've been having. Yea, that must be it.

"Sakura-chan?"

Being deep into my thoughts, I hadn't noticed that I already reached Ichiraku. I turned to Naruto's surprisingly handsome face. Why surprisingly? I guess I just never noticed how good he looked until just now. He looks so cute with his head cocked to the side. Oh, right! I'm supposed to answer him!

"Oh! Hey Naruto! Sorry I dazed off there. Mind if I join ya?"

"Of course not, Sakura-chan! I'm already on my seventh bowl!" Ooh, so close.

"Hey Naruto, who were you talking to just now?" I had to know.

"Hm? Oh, that was Hinata-chan! We were just talking."

"Oh, ok. Just wondering." Whew. It was only Hinata-san. Wait...why am I relieved again?

Naruto went back to his ramen bowl and then it seemed like he just realized something.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto has a weird look on his face. I can't seem to recognize it. Hmm..oh wait! SMUG. Now's the time to be suspicious, Sakura.

"You wouldn't happen to be jealous, would you??" Damn. How could he catch on that fast?! It wasn't THAT obvious right? Definitely not obvious enough for Naruto to figure out.

"What? Of course not, Naruto. Why would you think that?" I hope I was convincing. Did he buy it?

"Sakura-chan finally has the hots for me. Sorry to break it to you but I don't think it's gonna work out." Naruto was getting a big kick outta this.

"Naruto!" I gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder.

_POOF!_

"I'm sorry to interrupt this pleasant moment, but I have some news for Sakura." Well, well, look who it is.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto and I said in unison.

"What is it?" I asked. It's probably lazy Tsunade wanting me to do her work for her.

"You're needed at the hospital." Right now? There's lots of skilled medics in that hospital. Why do they need me?

"Ugh." I looked back at my bowl full of untouched ramen. "Got it." And I took off towards the hospital.

"Well, no use in wasting perfectly good ramen!" Naruto exclaimed and started attacking my ramen. His chopsticks, the weapon. And Kakashi just sat down while reading his mystery book but anywho, back to me.

* * *

As I barged in the hospital doors for dramatic effect, there was an anxious nurse waiting for me to arrive. I followed her to the designated room and she explained to me the details of the situation. I just sighed as if this whole incident occurred to me as an everyday task. And it technically is. 

I entered the room. Not a surprised bone in my body was present at the moment as I saw the seriously wounded patient before me. No matter how injured or hurt or unconscious he may look, seem, or appear, his wounds will never shock me. You want to know why? Because I've seen and healed so many different injuries on this guy that I expect these things to happen. He's the most stubborn and hard-headed ninja I have ever met and there's just nothing I can do about it. And believe me. I've tried practically EVERYthing.

I ordered the nurse to fetch me a couple items while I heal the larger wounds first. While I was concentrating chakra to my hands a greenish glow began to take place, mending the cuts and gashes. His pained expression turned to one of calm and relaxed in a matter of moments. About an or two later, his major wounds were all healed and he was all bandaged up. I was exhausted from the large amount of chakra I used but I was relieved. I took pride in my work and this one was a masterpiece for it was a tough fight but in the end, Haruno Sakura won.

I left him to sleep and went onwards to Tsunade to tell her the outcome of what happened.

Sigh. That boy just doesn't know when to quit. I do admire his looking out for his teammates like that but if he keeps getting hurt like this every time he has a big mission or is out doing intensive training, then I'm gonna have to do something about it. And he's not gonna like it._  
_

I arrived outside her door and knocked. A muffled "Come in" was said and I did just that. The sight of scattered papers, empty bottles of sake, and a fatigued Tsunade appeared in front of me. Typical.

"...hmm?" Tsunade looked up at me while I had a slightly impatient look on my face. "Oh! Sakura! It's you. So how did it go?" Tsunade said while frantically straightening herself up.

"Well, he has a minor concussion, a couple fractures here and there, and several deep cuts and open wounds but I've already healed most of the major ones. He should stay and rest for a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks but it'll be hard to say if he'll even stay for the first." I rolled my eyes with annoyance when I remembered all the times he had escaped.

"I see..." Tsunade closed her eyes and put on her thinking face. I'm curious as to what she has in mind. You never know how things will turn out when one of her ideas are put to the test.

"Sakura, how do you feel about making Neji your permanent patient? Until I say otherwise, of course," Tsunade said with a straight face.

I just stared at her, mouth agape. What did she say? Neji? As my permanent **what**?

When I found my voice I replied with a simple, "No. **Way.**"

Tsunade smirked and I began to worry but I didn't show it, of course.

"I knew you were going to say that so instead of asking I'm assigning him to you from now on." Oh, so that's what she was all smirky about.

I tried to decline once more but my mouth just couldn't perform the task I had asked it to do. All that came out were incoherent words that aren't even considered words. And when I was able to talk, all that came out was a desperate 'but'.

"Oh no, you don't have to thank me. I'm happy to do you a favor. And here's an idea! Why don't you check up on him every week or better yet, every**day**, after he's fully healed? Just to make sure he doesn't overdo it like he usually does," Tsunade said with that evil grin of hers. This "suggestion" of hers had woken me up.

"N-Now wait a second, Tsunade-"

"Well, then you better go check on your patient, doc. He's waiting for you." Tsunade pushed me out before I could retaliate.

A minute or two had passed and I came out of my short state of shock and glared at the door where behind it, there's a diabolical Tsunade.

I can't believe that just happened. I don't even talk to him! Nor do I wish to speak to that apathetic Hyuuga. Now I'm forced to. Well, that's just great. A perfect way to top off my already crappy week.

I reached my destination and entered the dreaded room. Neji was already awake, much to my dismay. He looked up and saw that it was me and, as expected, he glared.

"What do you want?" Geez, can't he even attempt to smile or something?

"From Tsunade's orders, I am to be your permanent...nurse and you, my patient." I wouldn't be able to hold back the hesitation even if I wanted to. The whole thing was much to insufferable for the both of us.

And for one second, which I happened to take note of, Neji's face showed the most open expression he's ever exposed in front of someone.

_Stunned..._

This'll be interesting.

* * *

**Yaaay it's finished! The chapter I meant. I feel so...ACCOMPLISHED!**

**I've been so lazy with all my stories but I whipped my butt into updating this one! Why this one? Because it's my proudest one. My own ORIGINAL idea [minus the characters, the setting, etc...I think. But if someone else out there has a similar story then I didn't know and I'm sorry!!**

**Well, I'm pretty sure it's my own but who knows? I hope you all liked this chapter! Tell me your thoughts!! x)**

**WARNING: JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, THE NEXT CHAPTER PROBABLY WON'T COME OUT TILL NEXT MONTH OR SO. WHY? BECAUSE I'VE GOT THE CASE OF THE LAZY ASS WRITER SYNDROME AND I'VE HAD IT SINCE DAY ONE. o.o**_  
_


	3. Truce

**Ello beautiful readers. I welcome you into the 2nd chapter of my story. Thank you oh, so much for reading it. And also, much love to those who read AND reviewed. All of you guys are just awesome.**

**I hope you enjoy reading this chapter just as I had enjoyed writing it. Well, here goes nothing.

* * *

**

"What were the two of you thinking?! Fighting in a hospi-"

We both sat there, staring the other down like bickering siblings would do; not even listening to Tsunade's incredibly long lecture of maturity.

Neji has a newly polished black eye, thanks to yours truly, and I got a couple bruises here and there.

Yup, this is definitely something I shall never forget. I might even laugh about this one day, but for now, I'm busy trying to beat the undefeated Hyuuga at his own game. **Glaring.**

Oh, I should probably explain what exactly happened to cause all of this, huh? Ok, so here's how it went.

* * *

"From Tsunade's orders, I am to be your permanent...nurse and you, my patient." I wouldn't be able to hold back the hesitation even if I wanted to. The whole thing was much to insufferable for the both of us. 

Neji just sat still, attempting to take this new information in. Doesn't seem to be working, though.

An uncomfortable silence entered the room. Nothing but the sound of busy nurses and medics hurrying through the halls was present. Neji seems to have regained his composure and is now looking at me with resentful eyes as if I am the one at fault for all this.

"No."

"W-What? What do you mean, 'No'? You can't just simply refuse! It's an order, not an option!" I was dumbfounded by the stubbornness of this guy!

He sighed, irritated at my response.

"I will speak to the Hokage and try to arrange a different nurse to heal me. That is what I meant by 'No'," he explained to me as if I was dim-witted.

"Why go through all that trouble? It's not that big of a deal." I mean, permanent is probably just an exaggeration, anyway.

"I will not tolerate being put under the care of someone like you," said the supposedly high and mighty Neji. Big-headed's more like it.

"Someone like me? Oh, and what exactly would that be?" I asked, obviously offended. I stepped closer to him with my arms crossed.

"It's not that I don't trust your abilities. I actually find your medic skill to be quite exceptional," Neji said bluntly as if it was nothing. I gawked at this.

Whoa. Neji just _complimented_ me. I couldn't help but be surprised. This day is just getting weirder and weirder.

"Oh. What is it, then?" If it's not that, then what could it be?

"It's just...you're annoying."

**WHAM.

* * *

**

And that's basically how we ended up here, sitting in Tsunade-shishou's office while she constantly berates us like a mother scolding her children.

I know that I was a little harsh, but as soon as I heard that word, I just snapped. What you're probably telling me is that I should have just ignored his comment and not let it effect me, right? Well, if you knew me at all, you would know that that's not how I roll. Especially when someone calls me annoying.

"-whether you like it or not, you two will be seeing a lot of each other, so act like adults for goodness sake!"

She dismissed us and we gladly took our leave. We went back in Neji's assigned room and another awkward silence had followed us.

I tried to look at anything but Neji. If I look at him and that arrogant facial expression of his, I might snap again. Which, now that I think about it, wouldn't be so bad since it was oh, so satisfying to wipe that cockiness clean off his face with that first punch. Even the famous Byakugan couldn't see that coming.

It's getting too quiet now. I can't stand the stillness. I have to say something.

"Are you going to keep standing there all day?" Way to break the silence, Neji.

"What is your problem? I don't do anything to you and yet you treat me with the littlest of respect. If not you, **I** should've been the one to even suggest going to Tsunade and assign you a different nurse-"

"Then why didn't you?" Neji asked suddenly.

That startled me for a second. I hadn't expected a question like that.

"I didn't go to her because..." I started to say but the reason wouldn't come out.

Why didn't I just do that? I was probably too shocked and couldn't think straight, but I can't tell him that!

"Because...I don't know." Oh great, now he thinks I'm an idiot.

"Tch. Whatever." You want that other eye blackened, bub?!

"_Sigh._ Look, Tsunade is right. We're going to be seeing a lot of each other so we have to be able to tolerate each other. Unless you want ANOTHER humiliating one-hour lecture from the Hokage, I suggest we call a truce. Truce?" I held out my hand to seal the deal.

Neji just stared at it as if he didn't know what to do with it. He looked away and thought for a moment.

"Truce." And he tentatively shook my hand.

I smiled at him and noticed the black eye. I suddenly felt remorseful.

"Sorry about that black eye I gave you. It was childish of me," I apologized with much difficulty.

He nodded to show he accepted my apology. I grinned but then I gave him an expectant look. He noticed and knew what I was hoping for, but he pretended he wasn't aware of it. Then he gave in and sighed.

"I also apologize for calling you annoying. It was uncalled for and I shouldn't have said it," Neji said through slightly gritted teeth.

I laughed at this. The look on his face is priceless. It's not everyday when a Hyuuga swallows his pride and apologizes. He looked at me peculiarly.

"What?" He's starting to get irritated now.

"Nothing, nothing," I said between laughs. I looked back at his face and I saw the black eye again.

"Here, let me fix that for you," I insisted.

He began to decline but I wouldn't let him. It was my fault that he had it in the first place, and I have to heal him anyway. I am his permanent nurse, after all.

He closed his eyes and I placed my hand over his left eye. Ten seconds later, his eye was back to normal.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Maybe Neji wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. I mean, sure he's an arrogant, hard-headed bastard at times but he can be bearable when he chooses to be. Who knows? Maybe we'll grow to become close friends.

"Are you leaving yet?"

**-glare-**

Or maybe not.

* * *

I can't believe I spent 2 hours in the same room with Neji. A couple days ago, I could barely stand 10 minutes with the guy! He's more talkative than I thought he was. Well, actually it was me who did most of the talking but he's a really good listener! I never realized it was so much fun to tease him. While I was giving him his daily check-up, I went extra slow just to piss him off. It worked wonders. He absolutely hates wasting time. 

Even though I've only been his nurse for a week, I feel like I can trust him with almost anything. I told him countless things that I've never told anyone before, not even my own family. He's yet to tell me anything about him, though. One of these days, I'll get something out of him.

_-growwwlll-_

Ugh, I'm starving! It seems I've been so preoccupied with all the permanent nurse happenings that I forgot to eat. You know where I haven't been in a while? Ichiraku. I have a strange craving for noodles right now. Naruto should be there so I guess I'll go visit.

On my way to Ichiraku, I'm trying to sort out my feelings for Naruto. Do I really like him like _that_? Or was it a one time thing and he's just like a brother to me? I guess I'll find out once I'm there.

I can see Ichiraku and Naruto's spiky do. I get closer and notice that Hinata is with him again. I wonder...does she _like_ him? I mean, I know that she had like the biggest crush on him in our Genin days but that was like years ago. And I thought she was with Kiba. Oh, it looks like she's leaving. That gives me an opportunity to test if my feelings for Naruto are as they seem.

"Hey, Naruto, how are ya?" I greeted with a smile as I approached him.

"Hey, Sakura, sorry but I gotta go. Later!" Naruto said as he rushed off...in Hinata's direction.

I sighed, disappointed. Just my luck. I haven't even figured out if I like him or not! Oh well, maybe next time. I better just order my ramen and eat like I had originally planned to do.

I ordered my ramen and am now slurping down the noodles. My stomach is pleased. A shadow looms over me and I feel a familiar presence. I hope and pray it's not who I think it is.

"Sakura."

Shit. I turned around with a mouthful of noodles.

"Oh hey, Sasuke," I said with fake enthusiasm after I swallowed the noodles. I pushed my bowl away, signaling I was finished. I wasn't but I had just lost my appetite.

"Follow me," he blanky said, expecting me to do so.

My mind went panicking at this command, searching for a valid excuse. It found nothing. Seeing as how I couldn't get out of this situation (for if I even tried, I'm positive he would find a way to stop me) I did as he said and followed him.

Fifteen minutes had already passed and he hasn't said a word.

"Where are we going?" I asked, suspicious of where he might take me.

"You'll see."

I felt apprehensive of his unknowing actions but I felt the need to continue following him.

We entered a woodsy part of Konoha and once we were deep enough inside, Sasuke stopped.

"Why are we here?" I had my guard up just in case he had something fishy up his sleeve.

"I need to talk to you," he said as he turned around to face me.

I stared at him in silence so he could continue. There was a slight pause but I waited patiently for what he had to say.

"Sakura...where have you been?" Sasuke asked, avoiding eye contact.

It wasn't out of concern but more out of curiousity. I am a bit hesitant as to what I should say but I have nothing to hide so I guess it's safe to answer.

"I've just been busy lately and had to spend most of my time at the hospital with Ne-" Realizing I've said too much, I stopped abruptly, hoping he didn't hear that last bit.

"With who?" His tone had changed from curiousity into a need to know. He was now looking directly at me.

"With Nnnn...URSES. With nurses because that's where they work and that's where I work so-"

"Sakura," he said in a warning tone that could tell I was obviously lying.

I sighed. Knowing Sasuke, he probably won't like what he'll hear especially since it deals with-

"With Neji."

I saw a flicker of rage in his eyes and then he turned around, his back facing me.

"But it's not what you think. He got hurt and he was put under my care until-"

"I want you to stop seeing him."

I froze upon hearing this. Who does he think he is? I can see Neji if I feel like it and Sasuke's not gonna stop me from doing so.

"What?" was all I could manage to say.

What is with these stubborn guys anyway? First Neji, and now Sasuke is being so impossible to deal with!

"I said I want you to stop seeing him. Have a different nurse to look after him-"

"I heard you the first time." Ok, now he's really pissing me off.

"I can't just do that, Sasuke. It was an order from the Hokage, herself, and there's nothing I can do about it." Take that you revenge-seeking-bastard!

"I don't care. Just stop seeing him." This guy doesn't know when to quit.

"You can't tell me what to do. You don't own me!" I was getting infuriated by his commands. I can do whatever I want! I'm my own person, DAMN IT!!

"On the contrary..."

He reappeared behind me. Just like that night...

"...You were mine from the very beginning."

Bastard.

* * *

**How was it? Good? Bad? Am I rushing things too fast? Am I going too slow? Not detailed enough????**

**TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS!!**

**Anywho, I hope you liked this chapter cuz I sure did, somewhat. Actually, I've come to realize that this fic is more of a SasuSakuNeji rather than a NaruSakuNeji but technically, it's a whole love rectangle. Weird huh?**

**Well, another month, another chapter. Let us hope the next chapter is better than this one. Adios!**


	4. The Tears Wouldn't Come

**안녕 (ahn nyung)! That's Korean for 'Hey there!'. Once again, I thank you for having the patience to read this undeserving story and I bow to you for making it this far.**

**-bows-**

**As for those who read AND reviewed, well, you guys deserve a special bow just for you.**

**-bows again-**

**Ok, ok, enough with the bowing. It's showtime. Aaaand ACTION!! **

* * *

_"On the contrary..." _

_He reappeared behind me. Just like that night..._

_"...You were mine from the very beginning."_

* * *

I caught his hand before it hit my pressure point and thrust my fist right in his gut. A cloud of smoke appeared and a log was where Sasuke was seconds ago. Predicting his next move, I spun my leg around in a ninety-degree angle. My foot landed smoothly on his jaw. He did a back flip and landed on a branch. He wiped off the slight blood from his mouth as if it were nothing and looked completely unaffected. 

I wanted to **strangle** him. Did he really think I'd fall for that same old trick again? And what was he going to do to me afterwards, huh? Rape me in my sleep? Dear God, I hope not. It's a good thing I saw that coming when I did.

I started to walk away, too disgusted to even look at Sasuke. I was sick of everything and I was sick of HIM. I had to get away while I was still clinging to the last remaining bits of my sanity.

My dignified exit somehow transformed into a desperate escape. I heard a faint "Sakura" in the distance, but that only encouraged me to run faster.

It wasn't Sasuke himself, that frightened me. It was what he would do. What he would _say_. Truth is...

I was afraid of falling in love with him again.

Even though I had gotten over him years ago, it's always been there. That slight possibility that I would end up falling for him. I just didn't know how to get rid of it. What truly scared me the most though, was the fact that it could happen at anytime. And I had no control.

Due to my panicking, I clumsily slipped off a tree branch. I was expecting a painful impact to the ground, but instead, something broke my fall. I looked up to see Sasuke and immediately pushed off him. I tried to escape once more, but Sasuke grabbed my arm with a grip so tight, I thought he was going to snap it in two. I was about to pry him off until he said the most unexpected thing that had me glued to the ground.

"Sakura, I'm sorry."

Right when those words left his lips, I felt hot tears form in my eyes but they weren't tears of joy nor sadness. In fact, they were tears of rage. In all my life, I have never been so furious at an apology like I am now.

_How **dare** he..._

Why now? Why did he decide to apologize now? Why not then when he left me for revenge? For **power.** I would've understood if he apologized then. I would've accepted it and I would have known that despite his actions, he cared. But instead, he thanked me. Thanks for what? For being annoying? For getting in his way? This is all a game to him. ALL of it. And I fell for every single one. Never again.

I bitterly started to laugh.

"Do you remember...?"

He raised an eyebrow, obviously not finding the humor in the situation. Not that he ever did.

"...Back when we were Genin. You called me annoying, weak, and a hindrance to the team. It's not like you were the only one, but it always hurt the worst when it came from you and most of the time, it did. Nonetheless, I brushed off your ruthless insults, foolishly thinking that you never meant any of it. That although you never said it, you were sorry for what you said." My voice began to break but I quickly regained control.

"I was naive and perhaps I still am. I waited and waited for you to give off some hint of remorse or regret to show you were sorry..."

A tear fell.

"...But it never came."

I turned to face him, a look of vehemence clearly shown on my face.

"I've always wanted to hear that from you. Just to know what it sounded like. Just to be able to say 'I forgive you'. Now after all these years, you finally said it."

I clenched my fists.

"After all of the insults, the resentment, and finally, after you **abandoned** me for your precious revenge even though I offered you my heart, SORRY is just not gonna cut it anymore!"

In a blind fury, I swung my fist aimed for his face with so much chakra that I couldn't control it. Next thing I know, I'm pinned to a tree with my wrists held above my head and my feet tied tight in a string of chakra. I struggled to get free, cursing myself for letting my emotions take over. Sasuke merely smirked at my useless attempts.

"And to think, I was actually planning on taking you with me this time. How foolish of me," Sasuke scoffed. I scowled at him.

He leaned forward, his lips next to my ear. My body shuddered in response to his hot breath.

"Goodbye, Sakura," Sasuke whispered and it was the last thing I heard before I fell into darkness for the _second_ time in my life.

* * *

I opened my eyes to find that I was in my bed. My...bed. Not bench, **BED**. So...was that all a dream? I hoped so. 

I walked over to my bathroom to brush my teeth and I noticed something rather perturbing about my appearance. It wasn't the fact that I was still in my work clothes, or how I slept with my shoes on that caught my eye. It was the odd shade of color that covered my wrists. It looked almost as if...

"Shit."

Suddenly, everything that happened the previous night came rushing back.

_"I was actually planning on taking you with me this time..."_

I ran towards Sasuke's place.

I reached his apartment and kicked open the door, "forgetting" my manners. It was empty.

I hadn't realized the meaning behind his words until it was too late. Sasuke was gone and I let him go.

"Damn it...I fell for it again!" I punched the wall, waking every resident in the building and rushed to the Hokage's tower.

I frantically burst open the doors to Tsunade's office, abruptly waking her up from her sleep.

"Sakura! What is the meaning of this?!" She clutched her forehead due to the pain of the headache she had from her hangover.

"Sasuke's gone!"

She looked up at me, eyes wide with shock and seriousness.

"Are you sure?" she said in a voice so low and grave, I cringed.

I solemnly nodded and began telling her the whole story. She looked down at her desk, analyzing every detail. When I finished, I stood there; waiting for her to tell me what to do.

She hadn't moved. I waited patiently and contemplated as well until it hit me. I tried to hide it but it was hard not to. Fortunately, she didn't notice.

Even after everything that happened, I couldn't help but smile just a little.

Sasuke left me...but this time, he carried me to my **bed**.

* * *

I opened the door to Neji's room. He wasn't there. I started to have a panic attack and searched everywhere in the room, thinking he had escaped again for the sake of his training. I looked out the window and I felt relieved but at the same time, stupid for being so paranoid. Neji was sitting under a tree, meditating. I observed his peaceful appearance and decided to have a little fun with Neji. A mischievious smile curled its way up on my face. 

Using my knowledge of the hospital and its surroundings, I sneaked over behind the tree without being noticed. I stealthily climbed up. I was ready to pounce when-

"Haruno, I know you're up there."

_**THUD**_

"Oww. Darn you, Neji. How'd you know I was here?" I asked while rubbing the new headache present in my skull.

"I don't have to be a genius to notice you tripping on your way here and then cursing rather loudly at the rock that tripped you."

I felt my face heat up in embarrassment and I laughed, nervously.

"Why can't you meditate inside? You nearly gave me a heart attack back there!" He raised an eyebrow at me. I thought about my choice of words and immediately turned redder than I already was.

"You know what I mean!" I said defensively.

"If you haven't noticed, the hospital can be noisy during this time of day. It's hard to concentrate," Neji said as if it were obvious.

I nodded and noticed another reason why Neji decided to meditate outside. It was _beautiful_ outside. The sun was shining, the sky had a few clouds here and there, and there was a pleasant breeze that went by every so often. It's no wonder why Neji came out here.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked, pushing the check-up aside for later.

"Hn." I took that as a no and sat down next to him, imitating his appearance.

I never really meditated before so I wasn't exactly sure if I was doing it right. I closed my eyes and just went to my happy place, deep inside my mind. I began to feel relaxed, carefree, and thought that I should do this with Neji more often. It would definitely help relieve some of the stress I've been bearing.

After about ten minutes, I started to feel uncomfortable. The day was beautiful and all but it does not make the ground any softer. I could feel my butt falling asleep and wondered how Neji was able to do this for hours. I stood up and an idea came to mind.

"Hey, do you wanna go somewhere?" I asked, eagerly.

Neji looked up at me.

"Where?"

"I don't know! Anywhere is good. A day like this shouldn't be wasted by sitting around all day." Neji raised an eyebrow at the word, wasted. Apparently, he didn't find all this meditating a 'waste of time'. It must be his idea of fun...

"Are you sure that's allowed?" Pshh, like he cares.

"Don't worry. As long as you're with me, we won't get in trouble. So do you?" I asked with what I thought was an innocent and hopeful expression.

"Hn."

"Great! Oh, but first you gotta change clothes. You look like a GIRL in that hospital gown and I CANNOT have you looking prettier than me," I teased while pushing him toward the hospital.

Neji glared at me.

* * *

We wandered around the village, looking for somewhere to go and enjoy the perfect weather. When we passed Ichiraku, I happened to see Naruto and my face brightened a bit but then I saw Hinata with him and I wasn't surprised in the least. Actually, I'm happy for those two. Hinata's a great girl and they make a cute couple. I've been thinking during the past couple of days and I don't think it would ever work out between Naruto and me. If it didn't the first time, then why would it a second time? Naruto's just like a brother and a best friend to me and it'll always be that way. 

I spotted an ice cream cart and instantly ran to it while dragging Neji with me.

"Where are we going?" He asked, a bit irritated by the sudden change in direction.

"To get some ice cream," I said while ordering two ice cream cones. Neji looked at me peculiarly.

"Don't tell me you've never had ice cream before," I said, not believing how this man could live without such a delight. He shook his head.

"Wow, you don't get out much, do you? Well, first time for everything, I guess. Try it." I gave him an ice cream cone with chocolate ice cream and started to eat my vanilla ice cream.

Neji looked at it and then looked at me, unsure if it was safe.

"It's not poison, Neji. Just trust me. You'll like it," I assured him.

He stared at it as if deciding whether or not to eat it. Finally, he tried it and he seemed to like it. I flashed him a Naruto grin.

"See? I told you, you would like it!" I said as I continued eating my own.

I led him to a secluded area in the woods where we could enjoy the rest of our ice cream without being disturbed.

"Why are we here?" Neji seemed confused as to my choice in spots.

"I come here all the time to just think or unwind. I thought it would be a perfect spot to relax without a care in the world. You can meditate here if you want. It's way more comfortable than the cold, hard ground at the hospital."

Neji simply nodded. I turned my head to look at his expression to see how he thought of the scenery but I didn't get to see it for I was caught off guard by something else. I laughed. Neji looked at me as if I were crazy.

"Neji, you have chocolate all over your face!" I couldn't help but laugh. He looked almost cute.

"Here, let me get that for you. I brought napkins," I said as I started wiping his face. He grabbed my wrist and took the napkin from me.

"I got it from here. Thank you," he said as he nonchalantly wiped off the chocolate. I could've sworn I saw him blush, but I didn't think anything of it. Neji would never blush. He's Neji! And last time I checked, Neji doesn't blush.

"What happened?" Neji asked suddenly.

I looked at him, puzzled by his question. He motioned towards my wrists. It seems I was rubbing my wrists without realizing. I tried to come up with a valid lie as fast as I could. Finding one, I was about to reply until-

"Don't lie." Darn you, Neji.

I sighed and just decided to be honest.

"I...I don't want to talk about it." And we left it at that.

A silence grew between us and I felt slightly discomfited. I always tend to have sudden, uncomfortable silences with Neji. I'm not sure why, but I can never get used to them.

I looked out at the sight before me. The pond was glistening beautifully from the sunlight. My mind wandered to the time with me and Sasuke and the events that unfolded that night. Another recent memory entered and my face grimaced.

* * *

_Tsunade slammed her fist on her desk, nearly breaking the poor thing._

_"Damn it, I should have seen this coming. Sakura, get Shizune. I need to talk to her in private," Tsunade ordered. She turned around to look out her window, a habit she picked up when deep in thought._

_I fetched Shizune who was on her way up and I left them alone to talk. That is, I left them alone in the **room**. Being the ever nosy Sakura, I couldn't just leave without knowing what Tsunade is planning to do so I masked my chakra and listened with my ear to the door._

_"It appears that the rumors were true," Tsunade said. Shizune gasped._

_"You mean..." Shizune started but she couldn't seem to finish._

_"Yes. Orochimaru and Sasuke have been in contact for the last several years. It seems they were waiting for the right time to team up and now the time has come." I refrained from gasping. I never heard those rumors, but then again, they never tell me anything. I always have to find out. I pressed my ear harder against the door._

_"I don't know if you know this Shizune, but there's another rumor. People are saying that..." Tsunade was mumbling so I couldn't hear the last part. She probably doesn't want anyone to know about the second rumor. She tends to mumble whenever she's telling something top secret._

_"Do you suppose it's true?" Shizune asked in a worried tone._

_"I'm not sure. You can never fully trust a rumor." I could hear her pace up an down the room in nervous anxiety.  
_

_"We have to tell her! Who knows what might happen if-"_

_"No! Whatever you do, do **not** tell her. She has a lot on her mind as it is. If she were to know about this, she might collapse from exhaustion. Or worse, she might confront him on her own. I think it's best if she doesn't know. It's only a rumor, but just to be safe, keep a close eye on her."_

_Who are they talking about? Ino? Hinata? Tenten? ...**Me**?_

_"Yes...but what are you going to do about Sasuke? He's probably miles away by now and he could be anywhere. Sending a team to retrieve him would just be a waste of time."_

_"Yes, I'm aware of that. That's why I've decided to do what I should have done in the first place. I'm sending an elite ANBU team to search for Sasuke and on first sight, assassinate him."_

_I left after that. I ran to my spot in the woods and fell flat on my back, not believing my ears. Even though sometimes I hate Sasuke with a passion, he was on my team and I care about him. We had so many great memories together. He's my teammate. My first love. My...friend._

_I wanted to cry. I wanted to cry just like the time Sasuke almost died in my arms. Just like the time Sasuke had left me. I wanted to **cry**...but the tears wouldn't come.

* * *

_

"Is something wrong?" Neji asked, disrupting me from my thoughts.

I thought for a moment, asking myself the same question.

"No. Nothing's wrong."

* * *

**o0o**

**Didn't see that coming, did you?**

**Anywho, just to clear up some stuff, I just HAD to get rid of the whole NaruSakuness. I just realized in the last chapter that this story is WAY more SasuSakuNeji than NaruSakuNeji and plus, it was obvious that that pairing wasn't going anywhere. I originally had a different idea in mind which was the reason for the NaruSakuness until I noticed a bunch of stuff that made no sense and decided to go for a different approach. As a result, "The Tears Wouldn't Come" was born! **

**I like this idea a whole lot better than my other one, anyway. I just hope that I got rid of that pairing smoothly and casually rather than some random thing. But if not, I'm just glad I got rid of it. Oh, and what Sakura meant by** "If it didn't the first time, then why would it a second time?" **you gotta refer back to the prologue where she says in this one paragraph that she gave Naruto a chance and yadda yadda. Well, I hope you liked this chapter! Another one is soon on its way!**

**Yaaay for NejiSaku moment! Sorry, I just had the urge to say that before I ended this little author's note. Ok, bye-bye! **


End file.
